Scrambled Eggs at Midnight

Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler
Cal (short for Calliope) has been traveling with her mother for several years now. Her mother is a professional wench, traveling to Renaissance fairs across the country. Eliott’s father is a born-again Christian whose latest venture is running a “Jesus Wants You to Be Thin” camp. This smart and tender romance features two teens who aren’t buying their parents’ answers to life or love, as they move away from letting their parents define who they are.

Night Kitchen Radio Theater

Night Kitchen Radio Theater Volume 1: The Emperor’s New Clothes and Pinocchio Mr. FP has recently started recognizing and protesting adult books in the car. This was an effort to find shorter things that he might understand better. The Emperor’s New Clothes clearly mocked the current administration, which I found apt and hilarious. Pinocchio was told more straight and was, alas, less interesting to me. Both of these audio plays use a frame to tell the story, which made them still over the head of a two-year-old. They would probably work for five and up, and the hour-long stories seem perfect for short car trips or attention spans.

Chicks with Sticks part 1

Chicks with Sticks (It’s a Purl Thing) by Elizabeth Lenhard I was sucked in enough to go back and read the first one… where the second book was about the four knitting friends balancing their friendships while dealing with Boys, this first one was nearly equal parts creating the friendship and becoming addicted to knitting. It was still told from Scottie’s point of view, still addictive, girly fun. The knitting patterns in the back were also much easier – wish I could go from knitting a garter stitch scarf to knitting lace socks in the time it takes to finish two books!